Upholstering method



06L 1967 J. B. ORLANDO 3,348,287

UPHOLSTERING METHOD Filed Oct. 15, 1965 INVENTOR JOHN B. ORLANDO ATTOBN rs.

United States Patent 3,348,287 UPHOLSTERING METHOD John B. Orlando, Bronx, N.Y., assignor to Defiance Button Machine Company, New York, NY. Filed Oct. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 496,453 4 Claims. (Cl. 29--9l.1)

The present invention relates to a method of using a prong bending tool to insert a clinch prong fastener into upholstery.

Clinch prong fasteners having button heads are used in the manufacture of tufted upholstery. The prongs of the clinch prong button are inserted from the finished face of the covering, for example, fabric, leather, or plastic, through a padding, and then through a hole in a support member or through the back of the cushions. The prongs are separated and bent nearly 180 apart to clinch the fastener. The button head draws the covering down to form a depression in the padding. This creates a button tufted pattern. The button head may be covered with the same material as the covering.

The present invention has for its objectives simplifying and speeding up the task of bending the prongs of an inserted clinch prong fastener and reducing the amount of hand work in securing the fasteners. Such hand work is slow, uncomfortable, and frequently results in injury to the workers hand.

In accordance with these objectives, the clinch prong button in the present invention is inserted in a sharp needle which is designed to accept only one of the two prongs of the fastener within a hollow recess in the tail of the needle. The other prong of the fastener lies against an exterior flat on the needles tail. After insertion, the needle serves as a lever to bend that prong which is inside the hollow tail of the needle.

The use of the inserter in the present invention simplifies clinch prong button insertion and bending. The natural spring bias of the prongs of the clinch prong button is used to grip the inserter so that the clinch prong button remains properly assembled with the inserter. The inserter used in the present invention also eliminates the need to separate the prongs of an inserted clinch prong button by hand and provides a lever for easier prong bending thus dispensing with direct handling of the sharp prongs of the clinch prong button. The workers safety and comfort are thus benefited.

Other objectives of the present invention Will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a conventional clinch prong button used in the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the clinch prong button inserter used in the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the inserter of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of an upholstery cushion showing the inserter as it is used to insert clinch prong buttons; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of an upholstery cushion showing the inserter as it is used to clinch the prongs of an inserted clinch prong button.

The clinch prong button 1, shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a head 5 from which depend prongs 3 and 4. The head 5 may have various configurations and may be covered with upholstery material, or may be of plastic or polished metal. The prongs 3 and 4 may be wire or pointed narrow metal strips.

The novel needle inserter 2 used in the present invention, shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, comprises a tubular cylindrical needle 2 having a sharp point at one end.

3,348,287 Patented Oct. 24, 1967 A hollow recess 6 is formed by eliminating a portion of the cylindrical surface, thus exposing the inner surface of the tube. This hollow tail occupies about half of the circumference of the needle and is terminated at a line which is a chord of the circular cross-section. At the extreme tail of the needle a small wall segment 7 is formed to lie along that chord. This wall segment 7 serves to separate the prongs 3 and 4 of the fastener and frictionally hold the fastener with one prong in the hollow recess 6 of the other prong on the exterior of wall segment 7. This arrangement allows the exterior prong to lie well within the cross-section of the inserter to prevent snagging that prong When the inserter bearing the fastener is forced through upholstery materials.

In operation, a clinch prong button 1 is temporarily assembled in the inserter 2 by placing prong 3 inside the hollow end or tail 6 of the inserter 2. Prong 4 lies outside the hollow tail 6 and against flattened wall segment 7 which lies chordwise of the circumference of the inserter 2. This wall segment 7 separates the prongs and retains the prongs within the projected cross-sectional area of the inserter. The normal spring bias of prongs 3 and 4 cause them to grip Wall segment 7 of the inserter. FIGURE 4 shows the clinch prong button I placed in the inserter 2 as the inserter is forced through the covering 11 of padded cushion 10. FIGURE 5 shows the clinch prong button 1 in position in the cushion 10 and shows the inserter 2 as it is used to bend prong 3 to- Ward the cushion. The inserter is then removed from prong 3 and replaced with the other prong 4 within the hollow tail 6. Prong 4 is then bent flat nearly away from bent prong 3 to complete the clinching of the button.

Alternatively, the inserter can be employed to first bend prong 4 on the outside of the tail, and then moved in the opposite direction to bend prong 3 inside the tail. This alternative eliminates the need to remove the inserter from one prong and replace it on the other. However, the inside prong 3 in this alternative is first bent one way and then the other for a total of nearly 270. Therefore, this alternative is most useful with ductile prong clinch prong buttons.

It will be apparent that other modifications may be made in my invention as described in the preferred embodiment set forth above within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of inserting a fastener through materials to be fastened and clinching the fastener, the fastener comprising a head portion and at least two prongs dependent from the head portion, which method comprises the steps of temporarily assembling the fastener in a pointed cylindrical needle by placing a first prong in a prong holding means at the tail of the needle, the said means constituting an axial hollow portion of the needle tail defined in part by a Wall lying in a chord of the cylinder, placing a second prong outside of said prong holding means and within the projected cross-sectional area of the inserter, forcing the assembled inserter and fastener through the material to be fastened, and moving the inserter so as to-bend the prongs apart to clinch the fastener.

in said prong holding means, moving the inserter in the opposite direction away from said first prong to bend said second prong toward the materials to clinch the fastener, and removing the'inserter.

4. The method of claim 1 including the steps of moving the inserter toward said second prong to bend the prongs toward the material, moving the inserter in the opposite direction away from said second prong to bend said first prong toward the material to clinch the fastener, and removing the inserter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Kaschenbach 2991.4 Talge et a1. 2991.3 Schramm 2991.1

Dickson 29-91.4 Donegan 29-91 Place 29-911 10 THOMAS H. EAG'ER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF INSERTING A FASTENER THROUGH MATERIALS TO BE FASTENED AND CLINCHING THE FASTENER, THE FASTENER COMPRISING A HEAD PORTION AND AT LEAST TWO PRONGS DEPENDENT FROM THE HEAD PORTION, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES THE STEPS OF TEMPORARILY ASSEMBLING THE FASTENER IN A POINTED CYLINDRICAL NEEDLE BY PLACING A FIRST PRONG IN A PRONG HOLDING MEANS AT THE TAIL FOR THE NEEDLE, THE SAID MEANS CONSTITUTIN AN AXIAL HOLLOW PORTION OF THE NEEDLE TAIL DEFINED IN PART BY A WALL LYING IN A CHORD OF THE CYLINDER, PLACING A SECOND PRONG OUTSIDE OF SAID PRONG HOLDING MEANS AND WITHIN THE PROJECTED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE INSERTER, FORCNG THE ASSEMBLED INSERTER AND FASTENER THROUGH THE MATERIAL TO BE FASTENED, AND MOVING THE INSERTER SO AS TO BEND THE PRONGS APART TO CLINCH THE FASTENER. 